DilEmma
by sweetcreekbiscuit
Summary: [Fluff] St. Valentine's day is coming up and our favorite trio thinks of ways to celebrate it. (Also Isabella, Leslie, Yugo, Lucas and James Ratri(William Minerva) are alive.)
1. 110250(1)

"Good morning, Norman!" Emma shouted as she threw herself at her friend's back, wrapping her arms around his neck.

Norman stumbled but managed to keep his balance. He laughed and when Emma got off him, turned around and ruffled her already messy hair.

"Good morning, Emma. You're late again."

"I'm sorry~" She answered and smiled.

Most of the students around them looked at them and started whispering. After a few seconds Ray joined them, lightly hitting Emma on the head with his book.

"No running in the hallways." He calmly said and started walking towards their classroom.

Emma pouted and looked at Norman as if wanting him to defend her but he only shrugged.

"You know he's right. You should listen to him."

Emma sighed and they entered the classroom quickly.

As they sat at their reserved spots next to each other with Emma in the middle, Ray opened his book to read it while the other two started talking about something. Well, mainly Emma was talking and Norman just listened and smiled. Ray didn't even need to look at them to know what they were doing. He could feel it in his bones. And honestly, he thought that was a little bit irritaning. But on the bright side, he almost always knew what the two of them were doing or were up to do.

Soon the class started and Ray sighed as he put a bookmark between the pages of his book which he then left at the corner of his desk.

After a few minutes he noticed movement with the corner of his eye. 'Emma came up with something again', he thought. And he was right. Emma was clutching her stomach with a painful expression. Ray knew it was a farce but Norman seemed genuinely concerned.

"Emma? Are you okay?" He asked and laid his hand on her back.

Emma shook her head and grunted.

"It hurts..."

The teacher noticed that and immediately instructed Norman to take Emma to the infirmary. The white-haired boy stood up and offered a hand to Emma but she refused him, saying:

"I don't think I'll be able to walk."

Norman didn't have enough strength to pick her up and Ray knew that. The white-haired boy was never athletic. The other two surpassed him in that. The boys exchanged a glance and Ray also stood up.

"I'll take care of that." He said with a calm expression.

The teacher seemed oblivious to their plan and nodded.

"Then both of you can go with her."

Ray picked up Emma so easily that it looked like he was lifting a feather. He didn't want to get in trouble but he knew his friend would be sad if the three of them couldn't have fun together. So he complied and strode over to the door as Norman quickly followed him. When they arrived at the infirmary, the dark-haired boy put Emma down on one of the beds while Norman looked around for any medicine, cursing under his breath that he couldn't find anything that could help his friend. He regretted that Anna, one of their little sisters in the orphanage, wasn't with them. She has always known a lot about medicines and how to use them. After all she had said that she wants to become a doctor when she grows up.

Ray looked towards him, then shook his head at his friend's obliviousness and returned his attention to the girl who was now smiling.

"What do you think you're doing? We're missing on important material for the upcoming test." As he said that he flicked her forehead to which Emma responded with a laugh.

"Oh come on, you know we're gonna learn it later. It's not that important." And she was kind of right. The three of them always had the highest scores amongst all of their classmates.

Norman jumped a little when he heard the girl laugh and moved to the bed at the speed of light.

"You're okay?! Oh, thank god! I thought you really had a stomachache! I was so worried-"

Ray rolled his eyes as the other boy continued to ramble about how much he was concerned. He was always like that.

"I don't know about her, but she's giving me a headache." The raven-haired boy cut him off.

The redhead immediately stood up on the bed and threw her arms around Ray, grinning.

"Don't be so moody~ C'mon, let's do something fun!"

Ray resisted at first, but soon gave up. He couldn't say no to such a stubborn cute little thing. Though he wondered how even 4 years after they were adopted and got out from that orphanage, she could still be so hyperactive and happy all the time while he and Norman were more laid-back. Sometimes he even thought of her as a child. A goofy and naive one. And Ray and Norman were her big brothers who protected her and stood by her side all the time.

Emma soon let go of Ray and her face lighted up.

"I've got an idea! You know that St. Valentine's Day is coming up next week, right?" She asked the boys, looking at them expectantly.

They were both surprised. Why did she suddenly bring that up? Does she... like someone?

They nodded slowly, anticipating her next words.

"Aaand you know what that means, right?"

They nodded again and she could swear she saw the slightest blush creeping on Norman's cheeks and the glint in Ray's eyes. But too bad for them, she had other things in mind.

"There are going to be discounts on chocolates!" She finally revealed, excited. "And that's why I want to go get some with you two!"

At that moment Norman and Ray's dreams and expectations shattered in pieces but they nodded once again before turning around and heading to the exit.

"I was hoping for something... different." Norman complained quietly.

"Expect the unexpected." Ray sighed and whispered. "Especially with this girl."

Emma looked at their backs confused and soon ran up to them.

"Wait! Why are you leaving me behind? What are you talking about?"

Norman smiled and Ray patted her on the head when she caught up with them.

"Just... boys' things."

Emma looked even more confused. "Boys' things? Things about boys?" She fell silent for a while, then, with a gasp, exclaimed "Does that mean you're gay?" She looked to Norman, then to Ray.

"**Emma, no!**" They responded at the same time. "Don't ever say something like that again!"

Emma blinked and then smiled brightly.

"Just so you know... If you actually liked guys, I would still be your friend!" She said happily as she wrapped a hand around each of them, pulling them close to her. She might have looked small and fragile, but damn she was strong. Norman and Ray knew that and when they stopped resisting, hugged her in return.


	2. 110250(2)

The trio entered the nearest grocery shop they could find and Emma made a beeline to the aisle with all kinds of chocolate, both known and unknown to her. Her eyes were glistening, her face was shining and... she was drooling a little. Norman and Ray followed her and stood by her side. But instead of looking at the chocolate, they looked at Emma. She soon noticed that they were too silent and turned her attention to them. The chocolate can wait a bit, she thought.

"What is it? Is there something on my face?" She asked.

Ray nodded silently and tapped his chin right under his lips.

Norman smiled and immediately pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket, handing it to the girl while fighting the urge to clean her up himself. Emma's cheeks turned a light shade of red and she took the handkerchief, thanking the boy as she did so. She hurried to wipe her chin and tried to return the boy's belonging but he refused politely.

"Don't worry, you can keep it."

Emma responded with a quiet 'mmhm' and just stood there, gazing at Norman.

And the moment would have been perfect if it wasn't for Ray who cleared his throat.

"Can we just take some chocolate and go back to school? Please. I can't handle you flirting in a public place." As he said that he looked at Norman disapprovingly.

"W-wha-?! I didn't-!" Poor Norman found himself stuttering after the embarassing statement that his friend made. He knew Ray was always straightforward but not that straightforward!

Thankfully Emma just laughed it off.

"I think we can go now." As she said that she took a few chocolates, then headed to the cashier.

Ray took a chocolate for himself and started walking after the girl, but Norman stopped him by grabbing his shoulder.

"Ray!" He half-shouted, half-whispered. When said boy turned around to look at him, he continued. "What was that? Why did you have to embarass me like that? More importantly, in front of her!"

"Why?" The dark-haired boy repeated quietly. "Because you have to tell her one way or another. How many years has it been already? Five? You know you can't hold those feelings inside you anymore. We both know it." He watched Norman's expressions change as he spoke. At the beginning he was embarrassed, then he looked like he was angry and sad at the same time. But at the end the white-haired boy responded with a kind smile which promised nothing but trouble for Ray.

"Same goes to you." Norman finally said and gave Ray's shoulder a warning squeeze before he turned to walk out of the store.

Ray muttered an 'ouch' and approached Emma who was waiting for them next to the cash register, holding a bag filled with her chocolates. She looked at Norman, then brought her attention back to Ray. She suddenly looked too serious. She definetely noticed the tension between her friends while they talked. The girl was determined to talk to them about that later. Or at least to one of them if she didn't have enough luck.

When she thought a bit more she decided. Maybe it wasn't such a bad idea to talk to them separately. Actually, the idea was brilliant and she praised herself.

Soon Emma and Ray joined Norman who waited outside. His lips turned to form his usual sweet smile.

"I saw a little park nearby. Do you want to go check it out?"

Ray felt that the question was, of course, directed towards Emma.

'So Norman chose to ignore me then. Quite rude of him but I can't say I didn't expect such a reaction.'

The redhead agreed but then looked at the other boy.

"You'll come too, right, Ray?"

To Ray, it sounded like she was pleading him to come along. But maybe he was wrong. There is always that possibility. After all, he can't be right about anything. At the other hand, he felt Norman's intense gaze on him.

"I..." He trailed. It felt like he was being torn apart between the two of them. Even if it was such a stupid dilemma, for Ray it was hard to make a choice. His first option was to let them have some alone time and make Norman happy even if Emma would be sad afterwards(though he didn't think she would be sad with Norman around), and the second option was to go with them like Emma wants, and get on Norman's bad side. "I have to go. I don't feel very well." With that said he turned around, heading back to the school, walking as fast as he could so he wouldn't let Emma even start to question him and his intentions.

Norman and Emma watched him go. The girl was confused but more than that she felt hurt for some reason. Her friend had turned her down many times throughout the years they've known each other but now... She found the sudden coldness in his tone very strange. She looked down at her feet, starting to ask herself where she had gone wrong. Maybe she said something that triggered him? Or maybe she did something she shouldn't have done? For a moment she even considered the possibility of him catching a cold even though he had never fallen ill. That was more likely to happen to Norman whose immune system wasn't so strong.

And speaking of Norman...

He was now in front of her, looking at her with a worried expression, hands on her shoulders.

"Emma? Are you okay?" He asked, interrupting the girl's train of thoughts.

She nodded and regained her smile.

"Yes! I'm perfectly fine!"

The boy let out a soft sigh before ruffling her hair.

"Ray will be okay." He said as if reading her thoughts. "Don't worry about him. When we go back to school, he's going to be his usual self again."

Emma didn't answer to that.

"So where's that park you mentioned?" She chirped instead.

"I'll show you." Norman answered and started walking with Emma next to him. He was glad that she was smiling again. He was also glad that Ray didn't come with them, but he still felt like he was betraying him.

'I'm sorry, Ray. And thank you. I hope I won't miss the chance you're giving me.'


	3. 110250(3)

When he arrived home, Ray slammed the doors he went through. He needed to release his feelings somewhere instead of bottling them. His mother always reminded him of that. But maybe she had other things in mind when she taught him that lesson. Maybe she wanted him to open up to her, to talk to her about his problems so she would know how to help him. But he didn't want to do that and act like a frightened kitten. Although he couldn't help it when Isabella ran down the stairs towards him and hugged him tightly. She was always fast to react to anything and he appreciated that even though they weren't on good terms yet. Ever since she adopted him after being away from his life for 12 years, Ray was closer with Isabella's husband, Leslie, who he occasionally called 'dad' even though they weren't blood related. Maybe it was just because of 'boys' things', as Ray has said to Emma earlier, that they were able to understand each other better. Or it was because of the man's youthful and kind appearance that he trusted him better. Or that it wasn't him who left his baby in an orphanage because 'it was complicated' and he was still too young to know the reason.

The more Ray thought about that, the more his anger grew and the fact that he remembered every bit of his past hurt even more.

"What is it, Ray? You can tell me." His mother spoke with a sweet calming voice.

The boy realised just now that Isabella's shoulder was dotted with a few drops of tears. He immediately lowered his head so she wouldn't see him and wiped his eyes with the back of his hands.

"I don't know why, I-" He held his hands, pushing his palms down on his eyes but that didn't stop the tears he held back for so long. "I can't talk about... Please don't... don't ask me."

His mother nodded and pulled him in again for a hug as she rubbed his back comfortingly.

"Then don't restrain yourself. Doesn't it hurt more that way?"

Ray clenched his teeth but nodded slightly. His throat had closed up and it was starting to hurt. His head felt like someone was smashing it with a hammer. His chest hurt. Everything. He tried to talk but his voice strings refused to obey him. Instead he just gasped for air and his emotions overcame his will to not show them.

For the next twenty minutes he didn't care that he was showing his weaknesses to his mother. He was more focused on how nice it felt to take out all those negative feelings that were welling up inside him.

After a few hours Leslie came back home only to see Isabella sitting on the end of the couch in the living room and Ray sleeping, laying there with his head on his mother's lap and his legs dangling off the other end of the couch.

The man smiled at the sight and approached them, leaving a kiss on Isabella's temple.

"I see you two are getting close." He noted to which she responded with a nod and stroked her son's hair.

"Yes. I hope so too."

— — — — — — — — — —

Emma and Norman were already leaving school together with Don and Gilda. They didn't study at the same school but they still managed to meet up at the end of their classes. The conversations they had helped Emma relax as she laughed at Don's jokes but she still felt tense after what Ray did. When she and Norman got back in school, he wasn't there. After they asked their teacher, she explained that Ray didn't feel well so he had to go back home. And Norman, again, had reassured Emma that their friend would be alright but he couldn't convince her so easily. She had to check for herself. And that's what she did. She waited until they split up and instead of going in her direction, she went to Ray's house.

She was already at his doorstep but suddenly couldn't muster up the courage to ring the doorbell. After a few deep breaths, and repeating a few times in her head that Ray is fine, she finally rang. And rang. After a while a man, probably in his twenties or thirties, she didn't really know, opened the door. At first she thought she'd gotten the wrong house, but Isabella soon came and stood by the man's side. Emma recognised her as the woman who came to pick up Ray from the orphanage, and greeted her with a smile.

"I apologise for the late hour, but is Ray home?"

Isabella nodded and responded to her smile with one of her own.

"Oh!" Leslie exclaimed. "You're that girl! Emma, right?"

The woman looked confused by her husband's reaction but she would ask him about that later. Emma on the other side nodded enthusiastically even though she also didn't know why the man was so excited.

"Come in, come in. He's in his room, on the second floor right in front on the stairs."

"But he's sl-" Isabella tried to protest but Leslie shushed and moved away so Emma could walk in.

The girl thanked them and ran up the stairs. She didn't care to knock on the door and entered Ray's room. The boy was sleeping and Emma sighed. She turned to leave but she heard Ray mutter her name.

The redhead quickly approached his bed with a smile.

"Yes?"

The boy shifted in his bed to sit up as he rubbed his eyes.

"Why are you here? What time is it?" He moved his hands away to look at her.

That's when she noticed how red his eyes were. She ignored his questions and sat down next to him with a serious look.

"Why are your eyes so red? Are you ill?"

Ray moved back a little and looked around the room.

"I'm not." He tried to think of an excuse. "I just look like that after I wake up." And as he said that he felt the urge to hit himself. He felt stupid for saying such an obvious lie. Plus, it was in front of the girl who knew him from when he was a small piece of meat.

"You're lying. I know how you look like when you wake up." She moved closer to him until his back hit the wall and there was nowhere else to run. "You're getting sick, aren't you?"

"T... That's not it!" He replied instantly but he felt his cheeks getting hotter. He didn't understand why the calm, laid-back Ray disappeared as soon as he saw Emma in his room. He blamed it on his emotions earlier that day. He knew he would become weaker after pouring out his feelings for almost half an hour and honestly, he did feel weaker, both physically and mentally.

But Ray couldn't tell that to the girl and she kept on pressing him to learn the truth. She got closer and closer until she was just centimeters away from his face. Ray prepared himself for whatever was coming. And then Emma pressed her forehead to his. She stayed like that for a bit, then clicked her tongue and pulled away.

"That's no good. I think your temperature's high." She stood up and looked around. "Where do you keep your- No, wait, I'm going to ask your mom-"

Ray immediately grasped her hand before she could get away but he couldn't find what words to use. The only thing he thought about was 'I shouldn't do things like this. Not in that state but...'

"What is it, Ray?" The girl asked quietly. "You don't want me to meet your mom?"

The boy couldn't think of anything else and his mother would be a perfect excuse. And it wouldn't be a lie, too.

"Yes. In fact, even I don't want to meet her." Emma understood what he felt. She sat back down next to him without letting go of his hand.

"It's already been 4 years. Norman and I learned to accept it. I know it's hard but we're strong enough to overcome those changes."

Ray's grip on her hand tightened and he looked down, his hair falling in front of his face.

"I just can't accept it. You know... It hurts here." He lifted her hand and pressed it to his chest. "And I feel lonely sometimes." It was weird for him to open up like that but somehow he was comfortable with the idea of Emma knowing what he was going through.

Emma felt nervous all of a sudden. She could feel his fast uneven heartbeat and she was pretty sure her own was the same. But she didn't move her hand away. She nodded slightly and whispered "I know. But you still have me and Norman. And the others too. We all care for you so don't be lonely anymore. Please. We're here. I'm here."

Ray was silent but he listened to her carefully. After a few seconds he raised his head to look at the girl but their moment was interrupted. Isabella knocked on the door, then opened it. As soon as that happened, Ray let go of Emma's hand and brought back his usual calm expression. His mother smiled at them.

"Dinner is ready. Come down if you're hungry."

Ray opened his mouth to say something but stopped when he saw Emma's eyes sparkle when she heard about food.

"Are you hungry?" He asked and as he expected, she nodded quickly. He stood up and offered her a hand. "Shall we go then?"

The redhead smiled, took his hand and also got up. They followed Isabella downstairs in the kitchen where Leslie was already leaving the last plates on the table. He looked up and smiled at Ray and Emma.

"Oh, you two showed up." He noted cheerfully, then turned his attention to Ray. "Did you sleep well?"

Ray responded with a nod and they all sat down around the table. After they muttered a short prayer, they started eating in silence. But after a while that silence was interrupted by Leslie who regarded Emma.

"So..." He clasped his hands together and put them under his chin. "Are you two together already or not yet?"


	4. 110250(4)

Ray and Isabella had pretty much the same reaction to Leslie's unexpected question. They stopped eating only to look at him judgingly. Suddenly there was too much tension in the air and the man felt intimidated. He felt like that before when he would do something stupid and Isabella would just stare at him until he became so uncomfortable that he would start apologizing over and over. But now that Ray joined her, Leslie wanted to sink into the ground as a punishment for asking such a thing.  
"Um..." Emma began, "Together how?"  
The older man laughed nervously and moved his chair a little bit closer to Emma's in order to escape his wife's and son's stares.  
"I mean in a girlfriend-boyfriend way."  
Emma's eyes widened in surprise. Of course, there was nothing like that. And still she considered the possibility...  
But... no.  
Ray and Norman are her friends and family. Nothing less, nothing more.  
She looked around as if searching for an answer, her eyes often stopping on Ray who was now looking at his plate and eating silently. He was too embarrassed to look at Emma directly.  
"No." She finally replied. "We're not like that." Ray sighed in relief. "We're family."  
And he choked on his food. Isabella patted him on the back. Emma immediately started to worry and turned her attention to him.  
"Ray?! Are you okay?"  
The boy nodded slightly but his cheeks were very red because of what Emma said. Actually she has said that many times in the past, but now it sounded different, like there was another meaning. Well, it was mostly because of his dad's words that he was thinking like that.  
In the meantime Leslie stood up, filled a glass with water and gave it to Ray while muttering a 'sorry'. The dark-haired boy took it and drank the water. He sighed, then cleared his throat and pulled out his phone from his pocket to see the time. It was already 8pm. Isabella, too, noticed that and looked at Emma with a smile.  
"Do you want to stay the night here, Emma? It's too dark outside already for you two to walk around. Besides, tomorrow is Saturday."  
Ray blinked a few times, trying to comprehend why his mother insisted on Emma staying. Or rather, it was like she was joining forces with Leslie. And the worst thing? They didn't even have free rooms in the house! The only bedrooms were Isabella and Leslie's and... Ray's.  
On the other hand, Emma was already getting excited about the unplanned sleepover. She nodded and smiled.  
"If you insist, I'll gladly stay." She replied and took her phone. "I just need to tell dad about it." And by 'dad' she meant Lucas, because if she spoke with Yugo, he wouldn't allow her to stay at her friend's house and would instead lecture her. So she excused herself as she left the table and walked out of the kitchen. Immediately after she exited the room, Ray turned to his parents with a serious expression. In contrast, Leslie was smirking and Isabella had the sweetest smile plastered on her face.  
"Before you say anything," Leslie began, "we are just trying to help you. Okay? You're not mad at us, right?"  
Ray sighed and shook his head.  
"No, it's alright." He rubbed the back of his neck and looked away. "Thank you, I guess."  
Isabella reached out and caressed his head.  
"I'm happy that I could help you with something." She said softly.  
The boy tensed up a bit but soon relaxed under his mother's caring touch. He muttered another 'thank you' just as Emma was walking back in the kitchen, smiling ear to ear.  
"They both allowed me to stay!" She nearly shouted and hugged Ray before she sat down next to him.  
The boy patted Emma's back. Leslie didn't look impressed by that. On the contrary, he didn't like that **at all** so he decided that he would give Ray a little lesson or two on showing affection. The man got closer to Isabella and whispered something in her ear to which she responded with a nod and he kissed her cheek before pulling away from her.  
When they finished with the dinner, Emma offered to wash the dishes. Isabella refused, but Emma insisted, so she ended up helping the woman with that chore. Ray went upstairs to make his bed and Leslie followed him to his room. Ray turned to look at him, raising his eyebrows.  
"I'm sure your mother will beat me up afterwards but I want to talk to you about something." The man said and leaned on the wall next to the door.  
"She wouldn't do that." The boy answered, clearly confused.  
"Oh trust me. She's capable of that. If she learns what I'm going to tell you, she wouldn't hesitate." With that said, he got Ray's attention while he changed his bedsheets.

Meanwhile downstairs, Isabella turned her full attention to Emma.  
"So... Emma?" She asked and when the girl turned her attention to her, she continued. "I apologise for earlier. Leslie was being untactful. He shouldn't have asked you that question and make you embarassed."  
The redhead smiled.  
"Don't worry about that. I understand why he thought that Ray and I were together. In fact, most of our classmates think Ray, Norman and I are in a polyamo... something... relationship."  
"Polyamorous?" Isabella inquired. Emma responded with a 'yeah, that' followed by a nervous laugh.  
"But they're wrong. We're just very good friends. We were that close from as long as I can remember." She cast her gaze down to look at her hands.  
The woman seemed to be thinking hard about something.  
"But still, there should be a reason for your classmates to think that you three are in a romantic relationship." She paused when the girl looked at her confused. "Do you like them in that way? Or at least one of them?"  
Emma shook her head and rubbed the back of her neck.  
"Actually I don't know. I mean, yes, they are nice. They have been always protecting me and stood by my side. But I'm still confused when it comes down to those feelings. You know, even if I did like one of them more and I chose him, I would hurt the other. And I don't want to do that." Her fingers found the hem of her shirt and squeezed the fabric. "After all, they're both very important to me."  
Isabella smiled and put her hand on the girl's head as she ruffled her hair a bit.  
"I know how you feel. I was in the same situation when I was around your age. But in the end, my friends always wanted the best for me so they supported me and agreed with my decisions."  
Emma looked up at her again. Her eyes now sparkled with interest.  
"What happened then? Did you get married? What happened to your other friend?"  
"I've gotten pregnant." The woman replied. "But after a while some things happened and..." She trailed, then as if disconnecting from a certain memory, proceeded speaking. "Five years ago I married my other friend, Leslie."  
Emma nodded. She felt that Isabella didn't want to talk about the previous man she had been with and instead asked, "But... What happened to your baby?"  
The woman just smiled and led her to exit the kitchen.  
"Ray is probably waiting for you. I'll go get you some clothes." After she said that, she climbed the stairs and went in her and Leslie's bedroom.  
Emma stood there for a while, her thoughts racing inside her head. Why did Isabella ask her those things? Wasn't she the one who apologised for Leslie's behaviour? And what she said was... So maybe she could, too-  
No, no, no. That's not it.  
She convinced herself for the nth time this evening that Ray and Norman are her friends, her brothers, her family. And she loves them like such. There aren't and there won't be any romantic feelings between them. Right?  
Emma shook the intrusive thoughts off and rushed to Ray's room. She was just about to open the door but she heard his and Leslie's voices so she stopped.  
"I won't do that!" She heard her friend raise his voice. And after a few seconds he spoke again. "Dad, I can't just tell- ... Yes, I'm going to wait until..." Emma didn't hear the rest of his sentence because he lowered his voice again.  
"And after that?" Leslie asked. "What are you going to do if things don't turn out right?"  
"I don't know." After a moment of silence, Ray finally answered. "I guess I'll just give up."  
Emma furrowed her eyebrows and pulled back from the door. She wondered what they talked about but she was quick to suppress her curiosity.  
Soon Isabella came back to her, carrying a bunch of neatly folded clothes. She instructed her to go change in the bathroom and the girl did as she said. When she was ready, she returned to Ray's room, but this time she made up her mind and walked in. Leslie wasn't there but Ray was. He has laid a futon on the floor for himself. And he was just putting on a shirt with his back turned to the door when Emma walked in. After he hurriedly finished with his task, he turned to his friend who was now looking the other way.  
"I-I'm sorry! I should have waited until you invited me in." She quietly said.  
But why did she react like that? She didn't really know. Maybe it was something in her friend's back?... But what exactly? She has seen it many times before, so why react like that now?  
"Don't worry about that." Ray reassured her with a small smile. "I'm done dressing up." He rubbed the back of his head. "So... You take the bed, I'll sleep here."  
As he said that he sat down at the futon but Emma wasn't agreeing with him. Instead, she approached him with a determined look on her face.  
"No, you're gonna take the bed. I'm your guest and-"  
"That's why **you** should sleep on the bed." He cut her off and looked up at her.  
She still didn't back down. She stomped her foot like a little child and bent over to his eye-level.  
"You want to disobey me? Fine then."  
And she started tickling his sides without giving any warning. Ray held his laughter for a few seconds but then gave in and started squirming around, trying to escape from her hands, or at least catch them so she would stop the tickle torture.  
"Emma, stop that!" He tried to protest, but the girl didn't look like she would stop anytime soon.  
"Not until you listen to-"

That was when Ray succeeded in grabbing her wrists. He smiled triumphantly as he regained his breath.  
"What were you saying? I'm sorry, but the sound of victory is deafening me." He teased her.  
Emma puffed out her cheeks.  
"But you're cheating~"  
She looked away from him. He thought she was going to give up and slowly let her go. Next thing he knew, Emma has already pushed him off the futon and towards his bed as she laid down, raising a fist in the air.  
"I win!"  
Ray rolled his eyes and stood up.  
"You're really stubborn." He sighed and switched off the lights. "I guess it's my defeat then." He shrugged and laid on his bed. "But remember that there may be demons lurking in the dark~"  
Emma chuckled and covered herself with the blanket.  
"No, there aren't any demons. They're not real." She laid on her side with her face turned to her friend. "Good night, Ray."  
"Good night, Emma." Ray responded with a whisper and closed his eyes.  
During the next few minutes he tried to fall asleep, but it was hard when he knew that Emma would be uncomfortable on the floor. He rolled on his side, closer to the edge of the bed, to look at Emma who was now sitting up.  
"What?" He asked.  
"What... What?" She repeated, chuckling nervously.  
Ray raised his eyebrow.  
"Is it not comfortable?" He whispered.  
The girl shook her head and rubbed her neck.  
"No, I'm... I'm a little bit scared."  
Ray sighed but then smiled.  
"I told you."  
He moved to the other side of the bed and lifted his blanket, inviting her in. She gladly accepted the offer and climbed on his bed, laying down next to him. Ray tucked her in and shifted to lay on his back.  
"Thank you." She said and moved closer to him, resting her cheek on his chest. "That brings up memories..." She trailed off and closed her eyes.  
Ray froze on his spot and his cheeks turned fiery red.  
'She's too close!'  
"Ye-yeah. But... Now it's a little bit..."  
Emma felt his heartbeat speed up again like it did earlier and looked up to his face.  
"Ray, your face..." Her hand reached up to touch his cheek, then his forehead. "You're burning again." She noted worriedly then suddenly looked serious. "But don't worry! I won't let you get sick!" As she said that she wrapped her arms, and even her legs, around him. She was practically acting like an octopus which had just caught it's prey.  
"Emma, no- That's not-!" He tried to protest and move her away, but she really was very stubborn.  
She shushed him and whispered, "I've read that when you're super close to an ill person, you take away their illness faster." She was embarassed now too, –and Ray felt her heartbeat matching his– but more than that she wanted her friend to be healthy. Even if he wasn't really ill.  
Ray soon gave up and nodded slightly. He decided to let her be and stroked her hair.  
"Okay, okay. Now go to sleep." He had finally stopped trying to break free and instead chose to enjoy the moment. After all it was not every day that Emma cuddled with him like that. It only happened a few times in the orphanage when she had nightmares and couldn't wake Norman up, so she went to Ray for comfort.  
The boy embraced her while thinking about that and closed his eyes. He could already hear Emma's even breathing which made him relax and soon he fell into a peaceful sleep too.


	5. 120250

The next day Ray woke up to his mother's quiet voice.

"Leslie, you're going to wake them up! Hey, give me that- Leslie!"

Ray opened his eyes and saw Leslie hiding his phone from Isabella who tried to take it, but to no avail. The boy looked around. Emma was still sleeping in the same position in which she fell asleep last night. Except now her face was too close to his neck and every time she released a breath, it sent shivers down his spine. He clicked his tongue and again turned his attention to his parents.

"What are you doing?" He asked quietly as to not wake up Emma.

Isabella and Leslie looked at him and smiled.

"Nothing." Responded Isabella.

"Good morning!" Greeted Leslie.

Ray rolled his eyes.

"Just get out of my room. Please."

Leslie sighed and Isabella poked him in the ribs.

"I told you!" She exclaimed as they made their way out.

The boy waited for them to walk out of his room, then looked back at Emma who moved slightly closer to him. The fact that it was morning didn't make things any better. In fact, it has made them harder and that was why Ray was so nervous.

He waited a little bit more, but Emma still didn't wake up. He tried calling her name, but it also didn't work. He finally gave up and moved her aside so he could stand up. As soon as he did that, the girl hugged his pillow and rolled to lay on her belly, kicking the blanket off her as she did so. In the meantime Ray strode over to the bathroom attached to his room and walked in as fast as possible to take a quick shower.

Half an hour later Ray was already dressed up and now sat at the edge of the bed with a towel on his head and his phone in hand. He has decided to write a message to Norman, explaining what has happened last night. He started to write, then deleted parts of the message. Then he wrote some more, but deleted that too. After a minute he put aside his phone, looking annoyed.

Actually, why was he even trying to explain those things to Norman? There was no point in that. After all, Norman didn't tell him how his short date with Emma went. To be exact, he didn't tell Ray anything about what was happening with him and Emma. He would often ramble about how beautiful and kind she is and how much he likes her, but nothing more than that.

Ray turned to look at the redhead who had just woken up and was now stretching her arms.

"Good morning, Emma." He greeted with a smile.

She returned the smile and sat up.

"Good morning." She replied after she yawned. Then she moved closer to Ray and reached out to put a hand on the back of his head.

"Emma, what are you-" He tried to question her and she responded with touching their foreheads.

'That again? Stop it already, Emma, I'm going to have a heart attack!'

The girl soon pulled back and nodded to herself, smiling proudly.

"I knew my methods would work!" She chirped. "But still, how are you feeling now?"

Ray raised his eyebrow. So she really did believe he was getting sick.

"I'm better now." He paused and then, in order to boost her ego a bit, added, "Thanks to you."

Emma was more than happy to hear that and jumped up.

"Okay!"

But after a moment she gasped and slapped her hand on her forehead.

"Oh no."

Ray looked at her quizzically.

"What is it? You forgot something?"

The girl nodded and sat back down next to him, grabbing his hand with her two hands. She looked so devastated that Ray started to think about all of the possible reasons why she was so sad.

"I'm sorry, Ray. I... Yesterday Norman and I ate all chocolates and I forgot to leave some for you."

Ray's expression was blank and now emshe/em started to panic that he was mad at her. He breathed in, then breathed out through his nose... And gave her one of those aggressive headpats of his.

"I thought it was something important!"

"Ow!" Emma exclaimed and puffed up her cheeks. "But it is important!"

"No, it isn't! We can still go to the store and buy another chocolate."

Emma stood up quickly and shook her head.

"No, I'll make it up to you! I promise!"

Ray sighed.

"Okay, if you really insist on doing that." He got up and proceeded to dry his hair with the towel. "Now let's go down for the breakfast."

Emma nodded with a smile and walked out of his room and towards the kitchen. Ray followed her and when they got there, he approached his mother and lowered his voice. Leslie was nowhere to be seen so he must have gone to work.

"What were you doing in my room earlier?"

"Leslie was trying to take pictures of you two so I went to stop him." Isabella explained, then smiled. "Though I don't really judge him. You were just too cute."

Ray's eyes widened in surprise. Then he shook his head.

"Next time Emma comes here, I'm going to lock the door." As he said that he sat down next to the redhead who was already eating the sandwiches that Isabella made earlier. Ray's face softened and he smiled slightly. "Don't eat so fast, you're going to choke on the food."

Emma looked at him with her mouth full, nodded and continued eating slower.

Ray took a sandwich and started eating while Isabella walked to stand behind him.

"And you are going to catch a cold if you walk around with wet hair." She said as she proceeded to rub his head with his towel.

"Mom, don't-" He tried to protest and it looked like he succeeded. Isabella froze on her spot with a surprised look on her face. Emma has also stopped eating and turned to look at Ray. It was just yesterday when he said that he's not on good terms with his mother and now he called her em'mom'/em. But that was a good thing after all, so Emma smiled and stood up.

Isabella and Ray, on the other hand, were too shocked to say anything.

"I think I have to go home now." The girl said and bent over to give a short hug to her friend. He nodded and got up slowly, then walked her to the front door. There, they exchanged another hug and when Emma went out, Ray walked back in the kitchen. His mother had a sad smile on her face. He hasn't seen her like that before. Most of the time she was either happy or serious. She has never looked sad about anything.

"Ray..." She finally said. She sounded like she would start crying. He didn't know what else to do, so he walked closer to her and embraced her. She returned the gesture and kissed his temple. Her next words came into a whisper. "I'm so glad you finally called me 'mom'."

As they stood like that, Ray stared at the wall in front of him. Maybe through the years he was being too harsh on her?

A part of him said, 'serves her right', but the other part was already thinking of ways to apologise for his cold demeanor towards her.

Maybe it was too much for her.

He finally turned his attention to Isabella and muttered guiltily, "I'm sorry about everything."

She looked at him and replied, "No, I should be the one to apologise. And I guess it's time to tell you why I left you 16 years ago."

Ray's eyes widened in surprise, but he quickly nodded and Isabella started talking.

"I gave birth to you when I was 19. But your father died a few days later and-"

Ray interrupted his mother.

"I remember that." He earned a shocked expression from Isabella after this statement. "I just want to know why you left me in the orphanage."

Isabella blinked away her tears as she cupped her son's cheeks in her palms.

"I'm terribly sorry about that, Ray. I used to think that I wouldn't be a good mother if I didn't have the resources to make your life normal. I didn't have parents or siblings whom I could turn to for help." That was the point when her voice broke. "Even Leslie was out of the country at that time and I couldn't reach him. I didn't know what else to do."

Ray stood silent for a while, trying to process what Isabella said. He couldn't understand how his mother, who was capable of doing housework and at the same time work part-time as a caretaker, couldn't take care of her child and work simultaneously.

He released a shaky sigh and finally replied, "Maybe I'm really still too young to understand you. But I'll try to understand. I promise."

Now it was his mother who poured out her feelings, occasionally repeating em'I'm sorry'/em, and Ray comforting her as he caressed her back.

At least he knew that he wasn't the only one who suffered through these years. And now that he finally learned the truth, he felt like a little part of his pain has disappeared.


End file.
